In the fantasy franchise Highlander, we’re told: “There can be only one.” And when it comes to leading men, it’s clear that Henry Cavill is one of a kind. Although his tenure as Superman is now long in the past, the actor has had no shortage of new projects. Speaking to Men’s Journal recently about his latest partnership with Googlebook, Cavill also took time to assure all of us ’80s kids that his Highlander reboot will honor the legacy of the 1986 cult classic. “I think you’ll be pleased,” he said confidently.
But because there is so much sword-swinging in Highlander, and Cavill looks fit as ever, we had to ask him: Is fighting with a sword a good workout?
“I would never be caught saying, ‘ Yes, you should play with swords,” Cavill said. “But anyway, I do [play with swords], however, and yes. [Director] Chad [Stahelski] drives a level beyond anything I’ve ever done before requires incredible fitness.”
So, can someone just pick up a broadsword, swing it around, and get into shape? Not so fast. Cavill makes it clear that it’s not the sword, but the way you move it. “I wouldn’t necessarily say sword work in particular is a fitness aspect, but it’s the plethora of martial arts which I was being trained in, which made the big difference.”
Cavill says that his Highlander training lasted “two years” and that in order to move spontaneously and effectively in the film’s various sword fights, Stahelski’s team “trained me in various different styles of martial arts and various different styles of swords and various different disciplines.”
Cavill revealed that he felt that this training was helpful to make the movie, because it allowed the fight scenes to be filmed collaboratively. “I had a lexicon of moves and abilities, and they knew what I was really good at and they knew what I wasn’t so good at,” he explained. “And so we could build something on the day, and that was always the case.”
Could learning certain sword-focused martial arts help you feel more in shape? Maybe, maybe not. “It does require an enormous amount of fitness and dedication,” Cavill said. “I went well beyond exhaustion on a daily basis, but it always felt worth it. Now, it feels enormously rewarding.”
The Gym-Safe Alternative That Builds the Same Combat-Ready Conditioning
If you want the rotational core strength and bulletproof shoulder mobility of blade work without swinging live steel in your living room, reach for a steel mace and practice the 360 swing instead. Because the mace features an uneven weight at the end of a long lever, swinging it through a controlled angle fires up your lats, forearms, and deep abs while eliminating the dangers of using real martial arts weapons.
How to Do the Steel Mace 360 Swing
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and your core braced, holding the mace vertically in front of your navel with both hands.
- Push the weighted globe up and over your opposite shoulder, allowing the head of the mace to drop behind your back in a controlled arc.
- Let your elbows bend naturally behind your head while keeping your ribs pulled down and your spine neutral.
- As the mace sweeps past the base of your neck, aggressively pull through your lats and arms to launch the globe back over your starting shoulder.
- Catch the mace cleanly in the vertical starting position in front of your stomach, pause for a split second, and repeat.
